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Academics

I've really been dragging my feet in finishing the registration process for the upcoming winter and spring terms. While I'm definitely a sophomore in terms of average age and college experience, I technically have junior standing thanks to all those butt-kicking AP classes from high school granting me a bunch of extra credits. Having junior standing has really paid off--having an earlier pick at the classes offered each term than most of my peers has ensured that I have always gotten into my first choice without much hassle.

Even though November just started, everyone at C of I already has his or her eye on the springtime. Or at least spring term, as we’re in the midst of registering for next semester’s classes. I have 56 credits to my name, and will register with the rest of the sophomore class next Monday. The seniors and juniors have already gotten first pick at the classes, and I’m sure many underclassmen are closely monitoring the number of open spots in the classes they intend to take.

Navigation has never been my strong suit. Among all my friends and family, I'm the last person you ask for directions or looking at maps. I'm notorious for ending up at Point F when I'd rather be at Point B--I'm still reminded by a few close friends of mine of the time I ended up at the Boise airport in an attempt to return home after Christmas shopping. Freeways and street names just confuse me, and I'm not ashamed at all to say that without my GPS, I'd likely end up in Canada somehow.

Is it news to anyone else that pumpkins are technically fruits? I just found that out this morning, and it blew my mind. I went through 19 years of life thinking that they were just oversized vegetables, like ugly, bulbous versions of carrots. I guess it takes buying a cart full of them for a giant group carving session for me to appreciate the complexities of the pumpkin.

What can I say. The time since I have last posted has been hectic. Academics, farming, art and work collectively have given me almost no leisure time. Except, art and most of work is leisure time for me. I am lucky in that respect.

I have been shooting interviews of professors so that the marketing department can make a video on what it means to be involved with PEAK in terms of academics. That stuff is currently in the editing room, being edited. (I don't get editors most of the time. They are strange people).

Pericles is one of William Shakespeare's lesser known plays, but it is such a fun piece to work with. I am an assistant stage manager for the show, so I come to most rehearsals to help set up the stage, get props in order, take notes, call lines, etc.

This gigantic map is the latest addition to my dorm room. But I didn’t cram it in over my bed just for kicks—it’s part of a class that I’m taking in preparation for a trip to London this January.

The class is officially titled “IND-307.1 London: Art/History/Literature.” It has 14 students (13 of whom are female), three professors, and one faculty member who’s surveying the course in preparation for his own trip to the UK.

Everyone here on campus is starting to get into the swing of things now that we've entered our third week of classes. It's been long enough now that pretty much everyone has some sort of routine established, even if that routine is hitting the snooze button five times or so before finally sleepwalking into their 8 a.m. class. That said, those routines can oftentimes be thrown into flux by some choice homework assignments. Let's face it--there are some essays that demand nothing less than a solid commitment of several hours if you really want an A.

Campus Greek life is in full swing—the three national sororities are having formal recruitment this week, and two of the three fraternities are having their rush. For the sororities, formal recruitment spells out evenings spent hosting events to become better acquainted with girls interested in joining, and intended to let those interested girls find their best fit.

On Wednesday night, I got to meet the latest crop of Heritage Scholars. All the freshmen and some of the upperclassmen gathered in Blatchley, divided into teams, and set off on a photo scavenger hunt across campus with the goal of getting as many photo items as possible while getting to know our group. I was on a team with two freshmen, Colton and Demir, and a Russell, a junior.